I. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to aircraft hardware accessories used for jacking or tying down an aircraft. More particularly, the present invention pertains to a hardware device adapted to be used as a tie-down or jack connection point of a helicopter.
II. Discussion of the Background
Aircraft such as the CH-47 helicopter require locations or points on the bottom of the aircraft that are utilized to jack the aircraft during maintenance or weighing. In the CH-47, two of the jacking locations are positioned just forward of the aft landing gears on the right and left hand sides of the aircraft. Structurally secure locations such as those forward of the aft landing gears of the CH-47 aircraft are sometimes referred to as hard point locations. These hard point locations have been utilized as jacking locations and tie down locations to achieve secure tie-down of the aircraft, such as, for example, when the aircraft is transported.
In the past, two sets of hardware have been utilized to accommodate the hard point locations forward of the aft landing gears, depending upon the task at hand. One set of hardware was used for jacking, i.e., a jacking adapter, and another set of hardware was used for tie-down and securing purposes, i.e., a tie-down adapter.
Having two sets of hardware necessitated changing the hardware to accommodate the purpose at hand and often resulted in losing the entire hardware item, e.g., the jacking adapter, or losing accompanying parts and bolts. Thus, the required adapter was often not on hand when needed.